Survey study, 2003
Do hormone levels change during the menstrual cycle in women with depression?
Yes. Women with depression had higher levels of a chemical called homocysteine in the early cycle compared to the late cycle, and overall higher levels than healthy women.
What they did
Researchers studied 13 women with depression and anxiety taking fluoxetine and 15 healthy women. They measured levels of homocysteine and other hormones (estradiol, progesterone, and cortisol) at different phases of the menstrual cycle.
What they found
Homocysteine levels were higher in the follicular phase (early cycle) than in the luteal phase (late cycle) in both depressed women and healthy women. Women with depression had higher homocysteine than healthy women in both phases. Estradiol and cortisol were higher in the follicular phase for women with depression.
What it means for you
The findings show that women with depression may have different hormone patterns during their cycle. The study is very small with only 13 women with depression and only included women taking one type of antidepressant, so results may not apply to all women with depression.
13
women with depression
15
healthy women
About the study
- Original title
- Homocysteine during the menstrual cycle in depressive women
- Authors
- Tallova J, Bicikova M, Hill M et al.
- Journal
- European journal of clinical investigation
- Year
- 2003
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 15
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2362.2003.01087.x
Topics
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